Fantastic Four: The Doom Saga 1: RUIN
by Merai
Summary: Someone is targeting the Fantastic Four, and they will not rest until the Four and all they love are destroyed. Who are they? What is their plan? Who will they kill? The answers will change the FF's world FOREVER. It is the Fantastic Four's Darkest Hour.
1. 1 Sabotage

This story is set some time after Doctor Doom is sent to Hell in Fantastic Four #500. Yes, he returned in Authoritive Action but this assumes that his soul returned to his body in Hell after the Thing died. But it's still the old Avengers, Nick Fury heads SHIELD, etc.

This is, I make no secret of it, a dark story. It is primarily Fantastic Four, though other marvel characters do drift in later on. It's designed to bring the FF to their lowest ever, to bring them to utter chaos. Yes, Doctor Doom will be a huge part of it. The key dynamic of Fantastic Four to me has always been Von Doom and Richards, so that is what I will attempt to address.

**THE DOOM SAGA**

**PART ONE: RUIN**

**CHAPTER ONE: SABOTAGE**

"INCOMIN'!" bellowed the Thing as a large chunk of concrete flew over the head of a rapidly ducking Johnny Storm.

"You wanna watch where you aim?" Johnny complained with a scowl as he fired off another burst of concentrated flame towards a nearby craggy orange rock monster crouching on the edge of the large crater in the centre of the street, which gave a howl and backed away in response. "You almost hit me!"

"Yeah, yeah…" grumbled Benjamin J. Grimm as he slugged a second monster in the face, felling it in seconds. "How come you suddenly care today of all days?"

"He has a date tonight, Ben." Came another calm voice, as an invisible force field scattered a wave of rock monsters. Susan Storm stepped from nowhere, as though not in the slightest concerned about the large tidal wave of creatures spilling into the New York suburb.

"How do you even know that?" Johnny asked, swerving around the head of a giant monster and rapidly firing blasts of flame into the back of it's head."

"Sister's intuition." Sue replied simply, as she calmly toppled the creature with another force field. "Plus, you're Johnny. You _always_ have a date on a Saturday night."

The monster incursion had noticeably slackened now, with a large number of wounded and downed creatures littering the ground. The civilians had all cleared off long ago, and as far as Ben was aware, no-one had been hurt this time.

"What's the deal with the Mole Man these days anyway?" his deep voice rumbled as he wrestled with the jaws of some sort of underground seven foot long alligator. "He stays quiet for months then just launches another wave of these jokers into New York." With a grunt, the Thing strengthened his grip on the beast's jaw and hurled it roughly to one side. "It's like the guy's just stopped tryin' or somethin'…"

"No, you simpletons!" roared the Mole Man, his face colouring ever greater shades of purple. "YOU CANNOT FAIL ME AGAIN!" As though in response, a huge stone-grey tyrannosaurus-like creature tumbled from the opening the Moloids had made into the New York surface, to impact the ground with a loud smash, crushing several lesser Moloids beneath it. Almost dancing in anger, the Mole Man waved his fists in the air. "Forwards, reserves!" he bellowed, turning to point a quivering fat finger at the twenty or so lame or wounded beasts he had been holding back.

His jowls quivered as the pack mournfully and pathetically advanced, almost tripping over one another. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed into his throne once more, tapping the small Moloids carrying it on the sides of the head with his cane. It was, he conceded, possible that attacking New York with an army of mole creatures may not be the best of plans. After thirteen years of it, that was beginning to sink in. "Never mind- call off the attack! Away, back to Monster Island!" he squealed. As the throne was raised into the air, he let out a sigh. Working up what was left of his willpower, he shook his fist at the entrance above. "I'LL BE BACK, FANTASTIC FOUR!" he roared as his throne hastened down the underground passageway as fast as Moloidly possible.

"Yeah, yeah, we hear you!" the Thing shouted, clobbering the last of the Moloids to the ground. He cracked his knuckles and looked around. About forty broken Moloid bodies lay scattered on the ground around the three intrepid heroes.

"Well…" he said into the sudden silence. "That was pretty disappointin'." The Human Torch descended through the sky, looking incredulously around at the bodies.

"Is it me, or are these guys getting easier every time?"

Invisible Woman smiled. She couldn't deny it was true though- if Moloids were the threats they faced every day- and to be fair, it was the highest level of threat they'd faced in some time- then the Fantastic Four had nothing to worry about.

"You ever notice…" the Thing said, navigating the warren of fallen Moloids, "That it's always us that has to fight the Mole Man? I mean, what- a hundred super heroes in NY, probably twice that, and of them it's always us four who notice the GIANT FREAKING MONSTER INVASION?" He shook his head. "At this stage, I wouldn't be surprised if he tunnelled up in front of freaking Avengers Mansion and we had to deal with it."

As though precisely on cue, there was a loud roaring which drowned out his last words, and a sleek, aerodynamic jet zoomed overhead, cruising ever lower. A panel on the bottom opened, and from it emerged Wonder Man, Iron Man, Ms Marvel and Thor, descending rapidly through the sky as the Quinjet- for that it was- set down on the broken street around them. The four flying Avengers landed lightly in front of the three battle-worn FF members, looking around for a moment

"…We're a little late to the party, I see…" Iron Man said at last.

"Yeah, just a bit." The Human Torch said sarcastically.

"Accursed Fantastic Four…" muttered the Mole Man, clenching his fists. "Always prepared, always ready… Have I grown so predictable? I am still their greatest nemesis but perhaps lately I have not…"

"Greetings, Mole Man." A deep voice echoed down the tunnel. The Mole Man twisted from side to side, shrinking into his chair. "What!!? Who said that?" he snapped. His rat-like eyes squinted through the darkness and he sniffed the air ferverishly. "Show yourself! The Subterranean King demands it!"

And from the darkness of the tunnel, a shadowy figure stepped out. "I bring you greetings." The figure said, a smile on the corner of it's lips. "And a means to revenge yourself on those who have humbled you… and destroy the Fantastic Four forever."

"…Late to the party…" Johnny repeated scathingly, throwing his arms into the air as the three cruised through the skyline in the Fantasticar. "They arrive twenty minutes after an invasion of giant monsters after which a street has already been decimated and say they're late to the party…" he shook his head.

"This is why I never joined the Avengers- no style."

"Well…" chimed in Sue. "That and the fact that you were never asked." Johnny waved a hand dismissively.

"Details, details…"

Ben navigated the vehicle towards the Baxter Building rooftop, shaking his head. "Still, if nothing else…" Sue continued. "At least they were able to deal with the Moloid bodies," The Thing frowned, shooting a glance at his best friend's wife.

"Where did Thor teleport 'em to anyway, suzie? Cos if it's back to the Mole Man, then this may explain why we keep fightin' the exact same fight every three months."

Sue shrugged unconcernedly.

"Probably to the Deviants' kingdom," she said thoughtfully. "They'll know what to do with them."

The Fantasticar set down on the roof of the Baxter Building with a light hiss, and the three exited, still bickering good-naturedly.

"…Don't know why Stretcho couldn't come anyway…" rumbled Ben, gesticulating with his hands. Sue snorted, a smile on her face.

"Yes, you do Ben. He's working on his latest invention, this machine to help restore ecological balance in parts of the world…"

"Yeah, yeah, the doohicky. We have a freakin' God of Thunder, not to mention weather girl at the X-Men, I jus' don't see why they can't scoot down and…"

"They can't do that without unbalancing the Eco system, which you know full…" began Sue…

And then she stopped dead in her tracks. An enormous, shimmering Forcefield had just appeared around the Baxter Building. And right before them, the door that led to the next floor in the Baxter Building swung open to reveal-

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Dum Dum Dugan standing in the door, grim expression on his face.

"Hi Sue, Ben, Johnny." He said calmly. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Where's Reed?" Sue asked at once. "Where are the children? Dugan…"

He raised both hands to calm her, but he did so unenthusiastically and did not meet her eyes. "I don't think... not sure I'm the person to tell you but…"

Without even waiting for him to finish, Sue pushed past him, Johnny and Ben hot on her heels. Her heart pounding painfully within her, she raced down the stairs to the first floor of the building, her mind screaming.

_Valeria-_

_Franklin-_

_Oh God, has something happened to…_

They burst into the main lab… and ground to a halt, staring around them.

"They took it all." Confirmed a gruff voice, as Nick Fury strode over to them, his face grim.

The laboratory of the most inventive, most intelligent man on Earth lay almost bare, scant pieces of electronic equipment littering the walls. It looked clean, gleaming, perfect. Except for the fact that it should have been choc full of some of the most dangerous and important weapons known to mankind. And all that equipment was missing, the entire room full of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents investigating, looking for fingerprints or clues.

"Nick…" breathed Sue, hardly daring to speak. "Did they… are the children…"

"Your kids are fine, Sue." Confirmed Fury. "But Sue, Reed…."

"Reed is gone."

END OF PART ONE

Yeah that was mostly light hearted, MUCH moreso than it ever will be again. It's also not my best writing. Tune in to part two for a surprise ending as the story gets catapulted into darkness. Just who is the mysterious benefactor of the Mole Man? And who stole the trillions of dollars worth of technology Reed Richards had? More importantly- what sinister plan do they have for it? And where is Reed HIMSELF? Answers await! Feedback ALWAYS very welcome!


	2. 2 Tragedy

Sharper Lee- Thanks for the feedback! But with the FF, "Corny" is part of the job description I'm afraid!

Penny3- Thanks for the feedback, don't think the Moloids will be appearing much again though.

Lorendiac- Wow! HUGE props for all that constructive criticism. It seems I'm not as tight with my grammar and punctuation as I believed! Many of those were, as you suspected, things I knew but did not enforce as much as I should have.

David Golightly- Here you are as requested, second chapter. Thanks for the praise!

Definitely a shorter and less eventful chapter this time but it's important build-up so without further ado….

**CHAPTER 2: TRAGEDY**

"…Gone?" Johnny echoed sceptically. Nick Fury looked back, dead serious. He gave a single tight nod.

"Gone," he confirmed. "We received a distress call over the Baxter Building's private frequency. No visual, no audio- just a transmitted message telling us to come now and bring the big guns." Sue staggered backwards a few paces, balancing herself against the wall.

"And… and the children…" she began, putting a hand to her head. "They were just… fine?" Fury shrugged, looking aside across the laboratory.

"Found Franklin in his room and Val in the nursery, same as always. Didn't even know anything had happened. We have agents taking care of them now but…"

"Signs of a struggle?" asked Sue, her eyes boring holes in Nick, her jaw tightening. "Was there a fight here, Nick or did we…" He raised both hands defensively.

"We don't know anything more than what I just told you. We got here, and the lab was empty, Reed was gone. And I have no more idea about that than you do. Sue…" His voice did not become any less gruff, any more gentle, but his expression did soften slightly.

"I need to know…" he pressed. "Was there anything Reed was working on, anything which…" She threw a glance back at him, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't know… Reed doesn't tell us everything. He was supposed to be working on a device to help elemental problems in some regions but… God, Fury…there were _thousands_ of inventions in here."

"Including…." Fury asked cautiously, not meeting Sue's eyes. "…An interdimensional teleporter, by any chance?" Sue blinked, and turned to look at Ben, who shrugged.

"…Most likely, yes…" she said slowly. "Nick… why? Who would…"

And then her eyes widened simultaneously with Ben's and Johnny's, and the latter took a step forwards, comprehension dawning.

"Nick, would one of these teleporters be able to teleport the user to…?"

"We're not sure." Nick replied grimly. "This is all speculation, but with your history… Susan, there's a strong chance it could indeed teleport the user right to… to Hell."

The three exchanged dark glances and then spoke as one in a single terrible voice.

"Doom."

"No," replied the floating figure silkily, his lip curled back in disdain. "Absolutely not." Before him, the man in shadow raised both arms exasperatedly.

"You're really content with the Fantastic Four foiling you every time you try another of your schemes?" The floating figure spat once on the ground, head twisted away.

"Clearly not…" he hissed through clenched teeth. "But the idea of sharing a part in a scheme with you is… odious, to be frank. What have YOU that you could possibly bring to the table?"

The man in shadow just smiled.

"Me? I'm just… an old man, trying to do what he can. Trying to organize this, so that the Fantastic Four can finally get what they deserve."

"Your motive I can understand, at least…" the floating figure conceded reluctantly. "And _some _of the benefits for me are evident… but what guarantee can you make that this will not simply prove another double-cross? What can you do to prove your sincere intentions?" His eyes narrowed into slits.

The man in shadow smiled again.

"How does a self-generating energy core which could power New York City for twenty years without recharging, straight from the lab of Reed Richards sound?"

And then the floating figure advanced into a pool of light, his expression now a greedy smile as he surveyed the man in shadow.

"Very well," said the hovering Wizard. "We have a deal."

"Thor!" Johnny declared, waving one hand in the air. "That magic hammer of his could teleport us right to Hell, right?" He lay back further on the couch in the Baxter Building's sitting room, sipping from a can as he did so. Nick Fury stood to one side, arms folded before him, along with Dum Dum Dugan. Sue was pacing in front of the window while Ben sat in his specially reinforced chair.

"We don't want to go to Hell," Fury responded. "If this was someone trying to spring Doom, then he's already out of there." Ben frowned, and then spoke up slowly.

"See, what I don't get is this…" he rumbled. "There ain't a lotta guys with the nerve- 'r the ability… ta breach Stretcho's security, then get alla his stuff outta here. Th' only guy I can see doin' it is Vic. But if Vic's in Hell…."

"…Then he has no reason to want to teleport there," finished Sue.

"…Maybe we're on the wrong track?" offered Johnny, looking from face to face. "There are TONS of devices in that lab, they could have been after any one of them. We can't just jump to Doom if someone is attacking us just because nine times out of ten it's him!"

A heavy silence fell.

"What about A.I.M. or Hydra?" asked Sue. "Could this just be some folks out for the latest tech?" Dum Dum stepped forwards and uncrossed his arms, shaking his head.

"MODOK is in France right now, and AIM devices always use enormous quantities of power. We'd have picked him up."

"And there's no way H.Y.D.R.A. pull something like this," added Fury grimly. "It's not their style. If it was them, we would have found no building left."

"Well look…" Sue began….

Then there was an explosion of blinding light and Reed Richards materialised in the centre of the room.

"REED!" shouted Sue, eyes wide. The others had all sprang up, in fighting positions.

"Oh My God… what happened to you?" she gaped, speeding to the centre of the room.  
Reed looked, quite literally, like Hell. His limbs were drooping and flopping everywhere and he looked half dead, twitching and contorting his body unnaturally until it barely resembled a human form, elongated shape thrashing.

"Sue…." he gasped, turning to try and face her. "Sue… Franklin and Val… are they…"

"They're fine, Reed…" she whispered, holding him. "Oh my God… what happened?"

"It… it…" He gulped in more air, his body slowly starting to return to normally. He suddenly tried to sit bolt upright, almost inadvertently, then collapsed again, elasticised body convulsing wildly across the floor.

"Is he alright?" asked Nick guardedly, shooting a glance at Dum Dum.

"Looks like his breathin's getting' regular again…" the Thing commented.

"I… just shock, it's…." Reed closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "It.. .was…he had weapons, I don't- he knew you were gone, knew you wouldn't be here…" his convulsion was definitely slowing now, and his body was starting to resemble a humanoid shape once more as he calmed down.

"I couldn't stop him…" he breathed. "I had already temp-sealed Franklin and Val's rooms in a safe alternate dimension. He was pounding on me, barely had time to call SHIELD…" he gave a hacking cough, speaking more regularly now. "I knew they wouldn't get here in time, so I did what I could… I sent myself one hour into the future so that SHIELD support would have arrived… I didn't think there was anything else I could do…"

"Who was it?" asked Fury harshly. He knelt down beside Reed. "Richards, you have to tell us. Who was it?"

Reed closed his eyes for another second, and then opened them again. "It… was…Kl'rt… the Super-Skrull…"

Before any of them could speak, the door flew open. Fury whirled, his face turning purple.

"I GAVE STRICT ORDERS THAT WE WERE NOT TO BE DISTURBED!" he bellowed. The terrified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the doorway stammered slightly but did not retreat, standing slightly more firmly in the doorway.

"Yes, sir… but… you should see this…" Behind Fury, Sue stood, her jaw set.

"What is it?" she asked swiftly. The agent glanced nervously over at her.

"It's… a man we just found in the foyer, ma'am."

"I thought we locked off the foyer?" asked Dum Dum. The agent nodded.

"We did sir, but this man appeared, he's- I think a …a…postman?"

"Willie Lumpkin?" Sue asked. "He's an old friend of the family, yes. What about him?"

"That's just it, ma'am." The agent said. He gulped once, picking at his collar.

"…He's dead."

**TO BE CONTINUED….**

Again, any feedback- negative, positive, constructive criticism, ALWAYS welcome.

Next chapter- who killed Willie Lumpkin, and why? Is it connected to the attack by the Super Skrull… and why would the Super Skrull ever do this? Is Doom connected after all? Is the old man who recruited the Wizard related to the other individual who drafted in the Mole Man? Are ALL these things part of the same plot, and do the participants even know it? The mystery deepens next chapter… plus an enraged Reed Richards leads the team on a mission of vengeance!

In old comic style, See ya in a week or so True Believers, but please remember to give reviews!


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